COMPARISON OF TWO ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF AZAARENES IN ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE MATTER |
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Authors: | Olivier Delhomme Maurice Millet |
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Affiliation: | Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie de l'Atmosphère, Centre de Géochimie de la Surface , Strasbourg, France |
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Abstract: | In this paper, the development of an analytical method for the separation and quantification of 20 azaarenes is described. Two methods are compared: high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-fluorescence) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS). Although HPLC-fluorescence was proven to be the most sensitive method, GC-MS was selected in particular for the efficiency of the separation of the 20 azaarenes. The detection limits of the HPLC-fluorescence and GC-MS methods varied between 0.04 μ g.L?1 (dibenz[a,c]acridine) and 1.30 μ g.L ?1 (acridine) and between 1.50 μ g.L ?1 (benz[c]acridine) and 2.56 μ g.L ?1 (dibenz[a,c]acridine) respectively. The GC-MS method was applied to particulate matter (PM 10 ) samples collected over 48–72 h periods between April 2006 and February 2007 in Strasbourg (East of France). Before analysis aerosol samples were Soxhlet extracted and concentrated to a final volume of about 1 mL of hexane. The seasonally mean concentrations of all azaarenes for this urban site have shown a seasonal variation in which the maximum concentration occurred in the winter (6.0 ng.m 3 ) and the minimum in the summer (0.90 ng.m3). For all the seasons the 2 rings species were the predominant azaarenes while the > 4 rings species were the less abundant. |
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Keywords: | Azaarenes high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection particulate matter |
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